Songs With Long Titles – Extra Time (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

They’re not wrong. Many of these songs do have long titles. But that is good, I always find that a lot more intriguing than throwaway titular monikers like Love or Jump or Trousers, or whatever.

There is a wonderfully eclectic vibe running through Extra Time’s new album. From the Steely Dan-infused jazz-rock opener Where Is The Light to the intelligent pop of Trafalgar, demonstrably not a long song title and not dissimilar to the sort of thing Neil Finn might have come up with. From the Go Between’s-infused The Boy Who Dreamed of the Stars (now that is a long one, for sure) to the pumped and pulsing pop-rock vibes of The Lost Man, there is a lot of ground covered across this album.

And it isn’t just the varied, though always concise and cohesive, nature of the music found here, because to match the long titles you have cleverly crafted lyrics, too. Lyrics that go beyond the usual pop pap but stop short of being pretentious, meaning that they are just smart enough and not showing off, a great balancing act between the elegant and eloquent.

If potent pop were a genre. Or intelligent indie. Extra Time would be seen as the primary movers and shakers in that sonic realm. Let’s start throwing terms like that about; we may create a self-fulfilling, sonic prophecy. You never know.